Fourteen years since the launch of the "TransWilts Community Rail Partnership"
Seven years since I won "public transport campaigner of the year" at a prestige event in London.
Both of these came up on my Facebook timeline this morning
(here) and on my other feeds
(here]It is absolutely incredible to look back to words I wrote in 2017 (that's the seven years ago) on the "Save the Train" web site (here) and see just how little has changed since. To some extent that is natural:
* There is always going to be a significnat bed in and stabalise after a major change - improvements are step changes with pauses between
* The intent always was to work to ensure the appproprite service is retained, rather than go too far and too fast
* There HAVE been some further changes and adjustments - the trains are now longer (and long enough not to overcrowd at present) and whilst they remain infrequent they are now timetabled to run all ay, every day of the week.
... call it consolidation
February 2017 ...
The "Save the Train" campaign was created in 2005 at a time when the whole future of passenger trains calling at Melksham Station was in doubt. Services held on by a thread through to 2010, with a strong local campaign. Objectives were to establish a permanent, appropriate train for Melksham's station, the line through it, and the communities served. Steps towards that objective:
* to raise awareness of the issues (2005 to 2009)
* to evaluate what's an appropriate service (2009 to 2011)
* to work towards that appropriate service (gain) (2012 and 2013)
* to ensure that an appropriate service is retained (2013 onward)
Over the years, the group moved from being protesters to being partners, working with local and central government, businesses in the area served, train operators and the rest of the rail industry, other user and community groups. As we shifted from protest to partner, we formed the "TransWilts Community Rail Partnership". Initially TransWilts worked as a group working within the community, then with First Great Western (now GWR▸ ) support, adding Wiltshire Council and central government though a Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF▸ ) grant. Once the service was up and running on a trial basis, TransWilts was able to join ACoRP▸ (the Association of Community Rail Partnerhips) - a Department for Transport sponsored organisation to help put new life into local lines. And as the service became permanent in December 2016, the service has become "designated" with gives the partneship some further authority / input, in particlar allowing local variation of national standards and policy where that works for the towns served.
Passenger journey numbers to, from and through Melksham - that's the line section unique to the TransWilts - were about 18,000 per annum when we started and are now up to a quarter of a million. Train service is up from 2 each way per day to 9 each way per day, passenger journey numbers at Melksham Station up from 3,000 per annum to around 60,000 per annum. The original trains still run - but where they had 2 or 3 passengers they're now conveying up to 30, and some of the new trains are full and standing (but if you're a potential passenger, there's still room for a few more on board).
There's still campaining and collaboration work to do - modelling suggests that Melksham passenger journeys can rise 5 times more to around 300,000 per annum - and for that we need a longer platform (project underway), longer trains (also underway) and more of them. And we need to improve access to Melksham station away from the tracks, and get the town's bus service to connect with the train rather than ignoring it.
Yes - the campaign has been successful - but that very success tells us that we're not where we should be yet and need to keep working for more and longer trains - and indeed link them into other trains beyond Westbury to Salisbury, and to Southampton and the airport.
OK - but - NOW is the time to progress ... those things we were already talking about in 2017. More trains (hourly), improved access at Melksham (foot and cycle way to the north, and making the underpass more welcoming) and bus integration. And I would add a desire for a more reliable service; never at easy line to operate, but a line that has been too easy to cull if there's a staff shortage, train shortage, or shortage of capacity because of extra or out or path long distance trains
Click on the map to explore geographics
